A Statement on the War in Ukraine
As Music Director of Artis—Naples and Music and Artistic Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic and at the same time a person for whom the events of the last days have been, owing to my origins, a deep personal tragedy, I have felt the need to make this statement. Because my ancestors lived in present-day Ukraine, the tragedy of that land is also my own. There are times when one needs to take a decisive stance and say words which will be both emphatic and unequivocal. Human life is the greatest value to me, and I therefore firmly condemn every war, including the one declared by the Russian government on Ukraine. I am deeply moved by the tragedy of my brothers and sisters of Ukraine. I have close friends and acquaintances in Ukraine, who have now found themselves in great peril. I pray for them and for all the citizens of Ukraine.
I believe it is the mission of every artist to express oneself through one’s art. It was therefore, my first spontaneous and concrete reaction to decide to open my concert in Milan on February 25, 2022, with Ukraine’s national anthem. I will do the same for my upcoming concerts, including when I conduct in the Czech Republic and in Warsaw. I will also be adding music by the great Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, who, at 84 years old, is still in Ukraine with his beloved people.
In this extremely difficult time, when shooting and explosions can be heard again in the heart of Europe, I have decided to dedicate to Ukraine and its citizens the Warsaw Philharmonic concert in Hayes Hall on April 3.
War kills. There can be no justification for war.
War should be stopped immediately.
Andrey Boreyko
(A version of this statement was originally released by Andrey Boreyko on February 28.)
About Andrey
Andrey Boreyko
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Music Director
Now in his eighth and final season as music director of Artis—Naples, Andrey Boreyko’s inspiring leadership has raised the artistic standard of the Naples Philharmonic. Andrey concludes his tenure as music director by continuing to explore connections between art forms through interdisciplinary thematic programming. Significant projects he has led include pairing Ballet Russes-inspired contemporary visual artworks of Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave with performances of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella and The Firebird, as well as commissioning a series of compact pieces by composers including Giya Kancheli to pair with an art exhibition featuring small yet personal works by artists such as Picasso and Calder that were created as special gifts for the renowned collector Olga Hirshhorn.
The 2021-22 season marks Andrey’s third season as music and artistic director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. Their planned engagements this season include performances at the Eufonie Festival, the final and prizewinners’ concerts of the 18th Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw and the orchestra’s 120th birthday celebration. They also plan to tour across Poland and the U.S.
Highlights of previous seasons have included major tours with the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia (to Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich) and the Filarmonica della Scalla (to Ljubljana, Rheingau, Gstaad and Grafenegg festivals). Guest engagements from recent seasons include the Seoul Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale RAI, Sinfonia Varsovia (with whom he appeared in the Budapest Palace of Arts’ Bridging Europe Festival with Piotr Anderszewski), Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Frankfurt Museumsgesellschaft, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. In 2019, he conducted The Cleveland Orchestra.
Other orchestras he has worked with include the Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Dresden, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Wiener Symphoniker, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Bamberger Symphoniker, Deutsches Symphonie- Orchester Berlin, Münchner Philharmoniker, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and Rotterdam Philharmonic.
An advocate for modern works, Andrey championed compositions by Victoria Borisova-Ollas in an extensive concert and recording project with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in 2017.
Notable amongst Andrey’s discography with the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR (of which he was principal guest conductor) are Arvo Pärt’s Lamentate and Valentin Silvestrov’s Symphony No. 6 (both for ECM records), the premiere recording of his original version of the Suite from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Shostakovich symphonies Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 15, both on Hänssler Classics. He has also recorded Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, and Lutosławski’s Chain 2 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Yarling Records. Nonesuch released a recording of the Górecki’s Symphony No. 4 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra shortly after Andrey Boreyko conducted the world premiere in concert with them, subsequently performing the American premiere with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Previous appointments include music director positions of the Jenaer Philharmonie, Hamburger Symphoniker, Berner Sinfonieorchester, Düsseldorf Symphoniker, Winnipeg Symphony and the Orchestre National de Belgique.
photo: Michał Zagórny